Cool Bat Poetry

28 Times Cool

Love this print by Batman cover artist Dustin Nguyen. It would be great to see him design a whole cartoon in his style. I like the pencil crayon coloring the most.

Don't Worry, I Hear Its a Dry Heat

So what you are saying to me is... since I am a blasphemous, athiestic, whormonging, masturbator I am fucked? Shit, glad I am not also a drunk, pot smoking, lesbian, sports fan.

And That Is All I Need, Bitches

The Tyranny of Evil Men

It may be old but it doesn't get sweeter than this, bitches!

Creator Corner - Robert Kirkman

I was discussing the origins of Image Comics with a buddy the other night. In the early 90s several of the top Marvel artists like Todd McFarlane and Rob Leifeld quit Marvel en mass and formed their own comic company called Image. It was a way for them to shake up the old establishment and the industry dominated by Marvel and DC comics - the big two. Darkhorse Comics as well as Valiant were smaller competitors but the big two held the majority share in the comic market. Image was a way for these creators to earn more money for their work but it also gave them something I think was more valuable - creative freedom. Being family companies the big two followed the COMICS CODE which was put into place in the 1950s to keep gratuitous sex and violence out of comics. Image operated outside of that code and therefore could explore other areas of storytelling that were not so kid friendly. So now its about ten years later and Robert Kirkman comes along with his zombie comic THE WALKING DEAD. He is free to tell his story with all the violence and harsh language that just seem appropriate for a tale of survivors in a post-zombie apocalypse. I downloaded the entire series from the start this week to see what all the hype was about and I am happy to say that once again I have found me a gem. Kirkman created what is probably the best superhero comic of the past decade, INVINCIBLE which has an ear to what made the original Spider-man such a joy to read in the 1960s. You have a young superhero who is unsure of his powers but learns on the job so to speak. You add to that a compelling back-story (his father is Earth's greatest hero AND an alien sent to prepare Earth for invasion by his home planet - kinda the anti-Superman) and plenty of unusual friends and foes and you got yourself a excellent franchise. I especially like that he has managed to keep the same artist (Ottley) throughout the run so there is real continuity issue to issue. Walking Dead is like that also with the art of Charlie Adlard. The characters Kirkman writes are real and believable and you can see yourself in every one of them should you find yourself in their predicament. His writing seems fresh and effortless. You never know from issue to issue of WALKING DEAD who will live and who will die and its that uncertainty that propels the story forward. I loves me my zombie movies for the same reason. Once you get attached to a character you run the risk of them being taken away from you in an instant. This series has many moments like that and although I have only read the first twenty issues (of 55) so far, I am hooked. Like so many other series I believe this one is best read in blocks of issues not month to month. Not knowing what is gonna happen next month would drive me crazy. So I am trying to ration these out like I did with my viewing of THE WIRE. Looking for a comic that transcends the genre without a cape in sight? THE WALKING DEAD is the one for you. Oh, and if you still need your superheroes check out INVINCIBLE.

Sky Calvin and the World of Tomorrow

I was watching this trailer with a friend of mine and she reminded me of the time we saw it in the theatre. We were watching Finding Nemo and the trailer for Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow came on. She turned to me and said..."I bet that is what it is like in your head all the time." She was right. Its all planes, airships, giant robots and rockets in black and white. But not so often Gweneth Paltrow or Angelina Jolie. More Mila Jovovich playing both parts...like she can play all the Alice clones in the next Resident Evile movie.

Cool Advice

I, however, can or will do neither. As Charlton Heston said..."When they pry them from my cold, dead hands."

My Superhero Car

If I could choose one vehicle (besides James Bond's Aston Martin from Goldfinger) to be my superhero car it would be this one - the 1938 Phantom Corsair or Flying Wombat - either of which could be my superhero identity. What a great profile. All it needs are gull wing door and missiles under the hood. It was a prototype designed by Rust Heinz, of the Heinz ketchup family, and coachbuilder Maurice Schwartz. The ketchup guy designed this? As a Canadian whose nation consumes more ketchup per capita than any other nation in the world I am doubly in love with this car. In 1938 the aerodynamic body enabled the car to reach speeds of up to 115 miles per hour (185km/h). Fast enough to chase any pre-war spies.

Coolest Bill Maher Quote Ever

"America is like Jessica Simpson. Sometimes it is so stupid that it embarrasses you. But how about them titties?"

This One is For the Ladies

More Cool Childhood Toys

While it would cost thousands of dollars to buy the originals from EBay today, I feel fortunate to have invested years ago in the Praying Mantis re-issues of these great Captain Action figures. How can you not love Dr. Evil who wears flip flops, a polyester suit and a big ass medallion? How sixties Bond villain can you get - showing his brain for all the world to see. The costumes come with load of accessories (not entirely accurate for the character but that is besides the point) and are made of quality materials. I also like the masks that come with each figure because you know I am all about the disguises. The concept was very strong and you can see its influence in many of the high quality action figures issued today. Go to Toy Haven to see awesome photographs of perhaps the finest action figure collection ever. This guy's house is a museum. I want him to adopt me so that I can get them when he dies.

http://toyhaven.blogspot.com/

Ah Shit - Just Funny

Read It and Suck On It Bitches

Breakfast Bonanza

How come nobody ever makes me breakfast food that smiles back at me. I would love that. They even made smaller and smaller pancakes just to complete the effect.

Yeh Bitches...You ARE Jealous!

If Only....(A Great Leader We Can All Get Behind)

Manga Calvin and Hobbes

This is soooo cool that it deserves to be an Anime DVD. And YES the jokes would translate in Japanese although when they re-translate them back to English we will be totally lost.

The Definition of Cool and Badass

The Death of Kid Superman

From Superman/Batman 52 - The cutest death of a hero ever. And I know its wrong but I gotta giggle everytime I see that bat symbol with EYES on Kid Batman's chest.

The Weekly Crisis

As a big fan of comic books I would be remise not share this latest magazine with people who also share my love. This was created by Kirk Warren from his web site (www.weeklycrisis.com) and when I downloaded it off Demonoid I was convinced that it was a new magazine from the news stand and a large publisher. After reading it I wanted to find out if my local comic store would be picking it up like Previews or Wizard. In fact it was created as an extension of Kirk's website of comic review. I immediately went to check out if his site was similar in tone and quality. It is. It exudes the passion he feels for the medium and he speaks directly to a fan boy like myself. It has such a professional look and is as densely packed with interesting information (like a much appreciated issue by issue breakdown of the Final Crisis miniseries) as any month's Wizard Magazine. I hope that he gets the chance to take his skills to the next level. I am reminded of Marvel Age, the in house produced comic that discussed the latest Marvel releases although this one has much better graphic design and production values. This is SO what DC could have used this year to discuss its various 'events' like Final Crisis and Batman R.I.P. (especially when they were written by a notoriouly difficult to follow Grant Morrison). It inspires anyone hoping to get their thoughts published.

Superhero Critters

"And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth's mightiest heroes were unaware of a threat greater than all of them could handle. And on that day, a teleporting puppy scoured the world to assemble a team of animals to fight the foes no single beast could withstand! Strap on your collar and hop on-board the adventures of LOCKJAW, LOCKHEED, REDWING, HAIRBALL, and an all-new FROG THOR! Written by Eisner-nominee CHRIS ELIOPOULOS with art by fan-favorite IG GUARA, color by INCREDIBLE HULK colorist CHRIS SOTOMAYOR and variant covers by PRIDE OF BAGHDAD artist NIKO HENRICHON!"

From one of my favorite comic book review blogs (Everyday is Like Wednesday) comes this image that totally blew my mind. A team book featuring Lockjaw (the big dog), Thunderfrog, Speedballs kinetic kitty Hairball, Lockheed the dragon and Redbird the falcon is beyond cool. I wonder if they will communicate in a language only they can understand like Stewie on Family Guy or Space Buddies where the dogs can talk to each other but sound like barking to everyone else. I can see Cosmo the telepathic space dog from Gaurdians of the Galaxy joining the team to give them an appeal across the breadth of the Marvel Universe. I suspect they will team up to find or avenge their owners like all good pets would do though technically Lockjaw is not a pet but a mutated inhuman who happens to look like a dog. I just hope someone with a sense of irony gets to write this series. DC must be kicking themselves that they didn't think of it first. I mean they have a whole slew of super pets in Superman's universe alone. (thats Krypto the super dog, Streaky the super cat, Beepo the super monkey and Comet the super horse)



Why does Wonder Woman have a pet Kangaroo? No, really...a KANGAROO????

Wasted LOL Cat of the Week #9

More Junkyard Robots

I have been coming across this genre of junk sculptures recently and I totally dig the ones that are robots. Of course I hate and mistrust actual robots that move and kill us with their pincers and smashy parts but I kinda dig these figures by artist Mike Rivamonte. They are very retro chic especially the ones made with what looks like 50s car parts. Ah they had designers back then. I may actually start looking around for parts to make one of these for myself. I will call him Mr Robot and I will love him.

Atomic Energy Lab

In 1951, A.C. Gilbert introduced his U-238 Atomic Energy Lab, a radioactive learning set for children. After one year it was pulled from the market because somebody realized that the radioactive element included in the set may cause problems for stupid children putting it in their mouths or up their noses. It looks impressive and is a masterpiece of 50s toy design that of course was totally dangerous in the way lawn darts were (ah sweet, sweet heavy metal darts of death). When I was a kid we had no bike helmets or water wings - it was dog eat dog out there. Even pop came in one litre glass bottles that would explode when shaken up enough and spread glass across the kitchen like grenade shrapnel. None of the little snowflakes out there today would last three days in the 'road warrior' wasteland I grew up in. Hell we fought each other with garbage can lids and huge icicle swords all the while being told by our parents to stay outside until our boots got wet or we lost our mittens. OMG...I have become that guy who chases the kids off his lawn with a garden hose.


"For a mere $49.50, the kit came complete with three "very low-level" radioactive sources, a Geiger-Mueller radiation counter, a Wilson cloud chamber (to see paths of alpha particles), a spinthariscope (to see "live" radioactive disintegration), four samples of uranium-bearing ores, and an electroscope to measure radioactivity. It's unclear what effects the uranium-bearing ores might have had on those few lucky children who received the set, but exposure to the same isotope—U-238—has been linked to Gulf War syndrome, cancer, leukemia, and lymphoma, among other serious ailments. Even more uncertain is the long-term impact of being raised by the kind of nerds who would give their kid an Atomic Energy Lab."
-From Radaronline.com

Very Cool Advertisement

Color TV must have been awesome to see when it first came out. If one ever needed a reason to buy a color TV this would be the ad to convince me. I doubt this one even comes with a remote control. Imagine - actually having to get up to change the channel - how uncivilized! And was there really a problem with circuits going haywire back then? What did that look like? I actually remember a time when you only got 13 channels and that was as high as the dial went. Late on Sunday night we could pick up a channel from the US and you could see Monty Python and Star Trek. That was after a bath, Walt Disney's World of Color and the Carol Burnett show. This was the 70s people. We also rode our dinosaurs to school like on the Flintstones. I think I prefer satellite with its hundreds of channels and my Jetson's Jet Pack to get to and from my destinations.

Hot Stuff and The Big Snit

One of my fondest memories of University is sitting around with my buddies and watching these two cartoon while smoking weed. No matter how many times we saw the same jokes we erupted into hysterical fits of laughter. I am convinced that is how one buddy, Pierre, from Quebec learned to speak English. It is the best of NFBs annimation and the best of Canadian humor. And remember - "STOP SAWING THE TABLE!!!!"

Code Gaurdian

Code_Guardian
Uploaded by Cee-Gee-Productions

It took five years for this passion project by Marco Spitoni to see the light of day but this is perhaps the coolest CGI that I have seen in my life. I could watch a whole movie based on this concept alone. I figured out how to add video to my blog just because I can't keep the awesomeness of this to myself. Its like retro-transformers but ten times cooler than Hollywood could ever do. Michael Bay take notice and do us all a favour and abandon your sequel now. Or hire this guy to work for you. At least then we could actually see the robots fighting without all your jumpy cuts that only show how bad you are at creating a great action scene. Reminds me of the G.I. Robot character that was featured in one of my childhood favs - Weird War. If you don't squeel like a little girl at about 10:55 into this thing then you, my friend, are DEAD TO ME!

Just Because Supergirl is Cool

And remember - I only bought that Supergirl because she is an ACTION FIGURE and is not a Barbie Doll. I think once you put a superhero costume on any doll (like my Batgirl and Wonder Woman) they stop being a Barbie. At least that is what I keep telling myself. I have a Superman Ken doll too but that isn't helping my arguement is it?

Bad Moon Rising

"Saturn's tiny, icy moon Enceladus has recently been visited by NASA's Cassini orbiter on several very close approaches - once coming within a mere 25 kilometers (15 miles) of the surface. Scientists are learning a great deal about this curious little moon. Only about 500 kilometers wide (310 miles), it is very active, emitting internal heat, churning its surface, and - through cryovolcanism - ejecting masses of microscopic ice particles into Saturnian orbit."


"Enceladus seen lit by both the Sun and reflected sunlight from Saturn and its rings on March 22, 2006, from a distance of 1,303,447 kilometers. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)"


"Ring shadows line the face of distant Saturn, providing a backdrop for the brilliant, white sphere of Enceladus. This image looks toward the leading side of Enceladus. North is up. The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 28, 2007. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 291,000 kilometers (181,000 miles) from Enceladus. Image scale is 2 kilometers (1 mile) per pixel. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)"


"The tortured surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus and its fascinating ongoing geologic activity tell the story of the ancient and present struggles of one tiny world. The enhanced color view of Enceladus seen here is largely of the southern hemisphere. The south polar terrain is marked by a striking set of "blue" fractures and encircled by a conspicuous and continuous chain of folds and ridges. This mosaic was created from 21 false-color frames taken during the Cassini spacecraft's close approaches to Enceladus on March 9 and July 14, 2005. Images taken using filters sensitive to ultraviolet, visible and infrared light were combined to create the individual frames. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)"

More of these awesome pictures can be found here -
(http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/10/enceladus_up_close.html)

If I Was a Cartoon Then Neville Would I Be

From the Gashlycrumb Tinies - the awesomely cool and morose children’s ABC lesson that is shown animated below. I love the voice they chose to narrate. He just SOUNDS like a gloomy day. And who can't giggle looking at poor Neville's little head peaking over the ledge. He DEFINES ennui. You can just feel his heavy sighs.

Zombie Warning

This is EXACTLY the way I figured the zombie invasion would go down. Not alot of media attention until after I left the house - just this one sign (frakin city officials). Without forwarning or weaponry of any kind - not even a sharp fork or a bag of frozen oranges for skull crushing - I would have to think on the fly and hope to not run out of ideas before I was ready to start the defence of my life and the life of that cute Ukrainian farm girl I save along the way. Doesn't she realize that its useless trying to run in those rubber boots and it is only slowing the both of us down?

"Someone reprogrammed two city construction road signs near the University of Texas early Monday morning in an attempt to warn Austin of an imminent zombie attack."

-Katie Petroski via http://plan9from.blogspot.com/